


after all is said and done

by thespacenico



Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Minor Angst, Nostalgia, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 15:35:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26221231
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thespacenico/pseuds/thespacenico
Summary: Lio remains still as Galo lifts the arm around his shoulders slightly, gently tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. “One of those days?” he asks softly.The fire snaps, and Lio bites his lip as the wood shifts and sends a small plume of sparks into the air. He hesitates, worrying for a moment about how ungrateful he must seem, and then remembers that this is Galo, and he can tell Galo anything. “One of those days,” he repeats finally, eyes falling to the cooling cup of tea in his hands.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Comments: 31
Kudos: 112





	after all is said and done

**Author's Note:**

> this is my piece for the burning hearts zine! it takes place post-promare, and lio reflects on what he might have been like if things had been different.

From a young age, Lio has always had a bad habit of getting too close to fire. 

At first it was a sort of fascination, a childish curiosity that more often than not led to scalded fingertips and frantic scolding by his caregivers. Then it was a necessity, an insatiable desire to be closer and closer to the flames until he was consumed by them, until he couldn’t tell if they were a part of him, or if  _ he  _ was a part of  _ them.  _

And now, it’s… a longing. A bittersweet desire to be reminded of what it was like to touch a flame and not be burned, what it felt like to hold its very essence in the palm of his hand and its warmth in the center of his chest.

He’s cold now, all the time. Winter is especially hard, considering that his body is still adjusting to the absence of the Promare, even over a year later. It’s hard not to dread getting out of bed every morning when he starts shivering the second he peels the sheets away, and every waking moment is a reminder of the life he used to live.

Right now he’s sitting on the floor in the center of the room, a thick, heavy blanket wrapped tightly around his shoulders as he watches the flames in the fireplace flicker and cast moving shadows across the carpet. He’s not sure how long he’s been here; it’s easy to lose track of time once he loses himself in his thoughts. Sometimes he wonders, when he can’t bring himself to look away from the fire, if he’s searching for something. Like maybe if he looks long and hard enough, he’ll find the part of himself there that he lost with the Promare.

“Lio!” Lio blinks back to the present, tearing his gaze away from the fire to see Galo entering the room with a steaming cup in each hand. “I made us some tea!” he says cheerfully, sinking onto the floor beside Lio with his legs crossed. “I wasn’t sure which was your favorite, so I just mixed them all together.” 

“Ah,” Lio huffs, hopelessly endeared as he accepts the cup he’s handed. “Thank you, Galo.” 

Galo beams at him, taking a moment to readjust the blanket around Lio’s shoulders and then wrap his arm around them like second nature. Lio immediately leans against his side with a sigh, careful not to spill the tea as he cradles the cup in both palms, soaking in the extra warmth. He brings it to his mouth, almost forgetting to blow on it so he doesn’t burn his tongue (it wouldn’t be the first time), and takes a small, experimental sip. It smells mostly of peppermint and lemongrass, and he wrinkles his nose at the odd flavor but it’s not horrible, so he takes another sip and it kind of grows on him.

For a while, neither of them speak. It’s a rare thing, to have even a single moment of quiet in their small apartment. Usually it’s pretty lively, even if Galo is the one making one hundred percent of the noise most of the time. At the very least, there’s generally something going on in the background: Galo humming as he goes about his chores, chatting about his day while he cooks, singing in the shower and yelling out answers to questions on televised game shows. He’s the definition of rambunctious, but even so, he knows how to read the room. There’s a time for his usual animated antics, and a time for quiet. Now is one of those times. 

Lio remains still as Galo lifts the arm around his shoulders slightly, gently tucking a piece of hair behind his ear. “One of those days?” he asks softly.

The fire snaps, and Lio bites his lip as the wood shifts and sends a small plume of sparks into the air. He hesitates, worrying for a moment about how ungrateful he must seem, and then remembers that this is Galo, and he can tell Galo anything. “One of those days,” he repeats finally, eyes falling to the cooling cup of tea in his hands. 

Galo hums, rubbing a few slow, soothing circles into Lio’s shoulder with his thumb, and that’s that. No pushing, no probing, nothing to indicate that Lio should feel any sort of obligation to continue. He lets Lio open up on his own time, at his own pace, says nothing that would apply unwanted pressure. It makes it easier for Lio to breathe, to gather his thoughts and put them into words. 

“Sometimes,” he starts, then pauses. “Sometimes I wonder who I would be. If the Promare had never come to Earth, or if… if it had stayed.” 

“What do you mean?” Galo asks, tilting his head to look at him, the expression he wears one of genuine confusion. “You’re Lio Fotia.” 

“I know, Galo,” Lio chuckles, lowering his head onto Galo’s shoulder. “But I mean, I wonder in what ways I would be different.”

“I don’t get it.”

Lio frowns then, carefully setting his tea aside and pushing away to look up at him. Galo blinks as he follows suit, brow furrowed like he really doesn’t understand what Lio is asking. Lio searches his face for a moment, unable to hide his own disbelief. “Don’t you ever wonder what you would be like if you never joined Burning Rescue?” 

The crease in Galo’s brow deepens. “Why would I be different? I’d still be me. Just like you’re still you.”

Lio stares at him. “Now  _ I  _ don’t get it.” 

Galo pouts, extending his arm toward Lio and smiling brightly as the other man sighs, shuffling back into place at his side and allowing Galo to curl his arm around him. Lio returns his gaze to the fire, gathering the blanket around his shoulders and tucking his chin into the fabric as Galo leans down to press a kiss into his hair. “I’m sorry,” he murmurs. “I’m trying to understand.”

“It’s not your fault,” Lio mumbles. “I’m just being selfish.” 

_ “What?”  _ It’s Galo’s turn to shift away this time, even as Lio winces the second those words leave his mouth. “What are you talking about? You’re the most selfless person I’ve ever met in my whole life!” 

“You’re one to talk,” Lio mutters. 

Galo frowns, folding his arms over his chest. “Lio.” 

“You’re cute when you’re serious.” 

Lio takes pleasure in the way Galo’s cheeks pinken as he presses his lips together, indignant. “Just because you flirted your way out of an argument and made me forget what we were talking about  _ one time  _ doesn’t mean—”

“Charmed,” Lio corrects, all too smug. “I charmed my way out of the argument.”

“Either way!”

“Galo,” Lio groans, yanking the blanket around his shoulders and falling onto his back, his bangs flopping backward with the momentum. “Never mind, just—forget I said anything.” 

He shuts his eyes and wills himself to sink into the carpet, hoping Galo will accept it as the end of the discussion. The room falls into a stiff silence, disrupted only by the crackling of the fire that echoes loudly in the sudden quiet. For the shortest moment, Lio thinks that somehow, his admittedly childish method of avoiding conversation actually worked. He lets it stretch on for as long as he dares before cracking one eye open, sighing when he sees Galo frowning down at him, arms still folded stubbornly across his chest.

“Galo, I promise you it’s nothing.” 

“Nothing is ever nothing with you!” 

Lio snorts, rolling onto his side as Galo scoots forward and lays down beside him, mirroring his position so they’re face-to-face. “You know that doesn’t make any sense.” 

For once, Galo says nothing. Instead he fixes his eyes on Lio and his frown deepens, brow knitting in concern, enough for the amused tilt of Lio’s mouth to falter. For a moment they only stare at one another, each of them unwilling to back down. Lio gives it his best shot, even though he knows this is a battle he can’t win. He never does. 

Eventually the intensity of Galo’s eyes on him is too much, and he drops his gaze toward Galo’s arm stretched along the small space in front of them. He’s not wearing his sleeve, unashamed of the scars that start at his palm and trail all the way up the exposed skin to his shoulder. Lio often finds his gaze inexplicably drawn toward the same arm, covered or uncovered, sometimes when prompted with a thought and sometimes for no reason at all. He’s always admired Galo for his transparency, for his ability to sit back and see the big picture even as he runs into it headfirst. Not once has Galo ever indicated that he blames the Burnish for what happened to him.

All this time and he still wears his heart on his sleeve, even after it’s already been burned. 

Lio unravels himself from the blanket enough to reach his hand out and touch Galo’s arm, lightly tracing a scar that stretches from above his elbow toward his forearm. “I… feel selfish,” he admits quietly, and forces himself to continue despite the part of him that’s still afraid to confide. “for missing something that’s caused so many people so much pain.”

Galo is already shaking his head, resting his hand over Lio’s and making him go still. “You had a connection, Lio,” he points out. “Of course you miss it. That doesn’t make you selfish, no matter how much you feel like it does.” 

Lio bites his lip, gaze fixed on where Galo’s hand completely swallows his own. “It makes me feel different,” he says quietly.

He still can’t quite bring himself to meet Galo’s eyes, especially as his words hang in the air between them. All things considered, he hasn’t quite made his feelings any easier to understand, but that doesn’t seem to deter Galo in the slightest.

“I think…” Galo starts, then trails off. Lio’s eyes flick up to see his lips pursed as he mulls over his words, gaze a bit far away and thoughtful. It’s almost strange to see him this way, even after Lio has seen it a handful of times now. Galo isn’t exactly a “think before you speak” kind of guy, simply speaks his mind as it comes to him with no preface whatsoever. “We learn more about ourselves as life goes on,” he continues eventually, speaking carefully. “through everything that happens to us. We don’t always know how we’ll react in certain situations until they happen. So maybe—our perception of ourselves might change, but deep down you’re still the same person you’ve always been.

“You’re brave, strong, loyal, and you’d do anything to protect the people you care about, even if it means putting yourself in danger. That was always true of you, even before the Promare. So the Promare might be gone, but that doesn’t matter.” Lio doesn’t realize until Galo looks at him that he’s been staring, almost taken aback by the sincerity of his tone despite how rarely Galo speaks otherwise. He holds his breath as Galo curls his fingers underneath Lio’s palm, squeezing his hand. “You’re still you, Lio. Just colder.” 

Lio bursts into laughter, pulling his hand back to cover his mouth as Galo’s face splits into a grin. “Just colder, huh? I suppose that doesn’t matter either. Who needs the Promare when I’ve got your burning soul to keep me warm?” 

Galo instantly brightens, puffing out his chest. “Exactly!” He doesn’t protest as Lio reaches out again to grip his shirt, rolling onto his back and tugging Galo so that he’s hovering over him, hair obscuring his face. With a huff of amusement Lio pushes it away, heart swelling in his chest when he sees Galo smiling down at him, bright and beaming in the dimness of the room.

He settles his palm against Galo’s cheek, fingers tracing his jaw with a quiet sort of fondness. “I love you, Galo Thymos,” he murmurs.

Galo’s smile grows, eyes sparkling. “I love you too,” he answers softly. “Memorize  _ that,  _ Lio Fotia.” 

Lio already has, but he declines to point it out. Instead he drags Galo down and kisses him, disentangles himself from the blanket around his shoulders only to tangle himself up in Galo, pressing in close and trusting him to hold his heart even closer.

And somehow, he feels just as warm.

**Author's Note:**

> come say hi on [tumblr](https://www.thespacenico.tumblr.com)!  
> [instagram](https://www.instagram.com/thespacenico/)!  
> [twitter](https://twitter.com/thespacenico)!  
> 


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